KR20020001752A - Tester and testing method, and testing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of this invention is to provide the test | inspection apparatus, the test method, and the test | inspection unit which can test a conductive pattern completely non-contact.

An inspection method for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a non-contact manner, wherein the cells Ll having a plurality of conductivity are spaced apart from each other, and are disposed in accordance with the conductive pattern of the circuit board 100, and are temporally disposed in at least one cell 11. By supplying a test signal which is changed to the test signal, the test signal is supplied to the conductive pattern without using a pin, and the test signal is supplied to detect the output signal appearing in the other cell 11 via the conductive pattern, and the detected output Examine the conductive pattern based on the signal.

Description

Inspection device and inspection method, inspection unit {TESTER AND TESTING METHOD, AND TESTING UNIT}

In the manufacture of a circuit board, after conducting a conductive pattern on a board | substrate, it is necessary to test whether there is disconnection or a short circuit in the conductive pattern.

Conventionally, such a method of inspection involves contacting pins at both ends of a conductive pattern to feed an electrical signal from a pin on one end side to a conductive pattern, and to receive the electrical signal from a pin on the other end side. The contact inspection method which performs the conduction test of a conductive pattern, etc. is known.

However, in recent years, it has become difficult to bring pins into contact with each conductive pattern in order by high density of the conductive patterns, and a non-contact inspection method for receiving electrical signals without contacting the conductive patterns without using the pins on the power receiving side. Is proposed.

In this non-contact inspection method, a pin contacting the conductive pattern is disposed on one end side of the conductive pattern to be inspected, and a sensor is placed in contact with the conductive pattern in a non-contact manner on the other end side. By supplying an electrical signal, an electrical signal appearing on the sensor is detected through an electrostatic capacitance interposed between the conductive pattern and the sensor, and the disconnection of the conductive pattern is checked.

In this method, since the pins only need to be brought into contact with one end side of the conductive pattern, there is an advantage that a particularly fine conductive pattern can be inspected.

However, in the conventional non-contact inspection method, since it is necessary to contact the pin at one end side, it cannot be completely non-contact inspection, and there is a possibility that the application range will be limited in today when the densification of the conductive pattern is further progressed.

In general, it is necessary to provide a pad or the like for contacting the pins on one end side of the conductive pattern, and providing an unnecessary pad or the like inherently counters the improvement in the mounting density.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inspection apparatus, an inspection method, and an inspection unit which can inspect an electrically conductive pattern in a completely non-contact manner.

The present invention relates to the inspection of a conductive pattern of a circuit board.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an inspection apparatus A according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the inspection unit 1.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of another example of the inspection unit 1.

4 shows the internal block of the switching circuit 16. As shown in FIG.

5 shows the principle of inspection.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b to be inspected and the cells 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a case where disconnection occurs in the conductive pattern 101a in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where a short circuit occurs between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b in FIG.

9 shows a circuit board 100 to which two dummy conductive patterns 102 are attached.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between the conductive pattern 101a and the like and the respective cells 11 at the time of detecting the coordinates of the conductive pattern.

11 is a display example of the display 4a at the time of detecting the coordinates of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the conductive pattern 101a and the like and the cells 11 at the time of disconnection inspection of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 13 is a display example of the display 4a at the time of disconnection inspection of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the conductive pattern 101a and the like and each cell 11 at the time of the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 15 is a display example of the display 4a during the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between the conductive pattern 101a and the like and each cell 11 at the time of defect inspection of the conductive pattern.

Fig. 17 is a display example of the display 4a at the time of defect inspection of the conductive pattern.

According to the present invention, an inspection apparatus for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a non-contact manner, comprising: cells having a plurality of conductivity spaced apart from each other, supply means for supplying a test signal that changes in time to the cell; Processing means for processing an output signal appearing in a cell, switching means capable of connecting each said cell to said supply means or said processing means individually, and a control means for controlling said switching means. An apparatus is provided.

In this means, the proximity of the cell to the conductive pattern causes both to be capacitively coupled. Therefore, when the test signal is supplied to one of the cells, a signal appears in the conductive pattern according to the test signal, and a signal (output signal) appears in another cell.

Therefore, by individually connecting each said cell to the said supply means or the said processing means by the said switching means, the conductive pattern can be inspected completely without contact without using a pin.

Further, according to the present invention, an inspection unit for non-contact inspection of a conductive pattern of a circuit board, comprising: a plurality of conductive cells spaced apart from each other, an input terminal to which an inspection signal for the cell is input, and from the cell An output terminal for outputting a signal of a signal, a control terminal to which a control signal for selecting the cell is input, and a switchable connection of the respective cells individually to the input terminal or the output terminal based on the control signal An inspection unit is provided comprising means.

In this means, the proximity of the cell to the conductive pattern causes both to be capacitively coupled. Therefore, when the test signal is supplied to one of the cells, a signal appears in the conductive pattern according to the test signal, and a signal (output signal) appears in another cell.

Therefore, by individually connecting each said cell to the said input terminal or the said output terminal by the said switching means, the conductive pattern can be inspected completely without contact without using a pin.

In addition, according to the present invention, a test method for non-contact inspection of a conductive pattern of a circuit board, comprising the steps of: arranging cells having a plurality of conductivity spaced apart from each other in accordance with the conductive pattern; A step of supplying a test signal, a step of detecting an output signal appearing in another cell through the conductive pattern by supplying the test signal, and a step of checking the conductive pattern based on the detected output signal; An inspection method is provided.

In this means, by arranging the cells in accordance with a conductive pattern, both are capacitively coupled. Therefore, the inspection signal can be supplied to the conductive pattern by supplying the inspection signal to one of the cells. In addition, a signal appears in the conductive pattern in accordance with the inspection signal, and a signal (output signal) also appears in another cell, so that the conductive pattern can be inspected by detecting this. Therefore, the conductive pattern can be inspected completely without contact without using a pin.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus A according to an embodiment of the present invention for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board 100, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an inspection unit 1. .

<Configuration of Inspection Device A>

The inspection device A includes an inspection unit 1, a signal source 2 for supplying an inspection signal to the inspection unit 1, a processing circuit 3 for processing an output signal sent out from the inspection unit 1, And a computer 4 for determining the presence or absence of disconnection, short circuit, or the like of the conductive pattern of the circuit board 100 based on the control of the inspection unit 1 and the output signal from the processing circuit 3.

The inspection unit 1 includes a plurality of cells 11 spaced apart from each other, an input terminal 12 to which an inspection signal from the signal source 2 is input, and an output signal from the cell 11. An output terminal 13, a control terminal 14 to which a control signal from the computer 4 is input, a GND terminal 15 to be connected to GND, each cell 11, an input terminal 12, and an output A switching circuit 16 for switching the connection between the terminal 13 or the GND terminal 15 is provided.

The inspection unit 1 is used so that the exposed surface of the cell 11 faces the conductive pattern of the circuit board 100, and the interval between the cell 11 and the conductive pattern is in the range of approximately 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm. Is preferred. In addition, in the circuit board 100 of FIG. 1, the case where the conductive pattern is provided only in one side surface is assumed, but when it is provided in both surfaces, it arrange | positions so that a circuit board may be sandwiched using two test | inspection units 1. You can also inspect.

In the inspection apparatus A, as explained later in the principle, by supplying an inspection signal to a cell 11, an electrical signal is generated on the conductive pattern, and the other cell 11 is generated by the electrical signal on the conductive pattern. The conductive pattern is inspected based on the signal (hereinafter referred to as an output signal) shown in Fig. 2).

In the test | inspection unit 1, each cell 11 is comprised from the material which has electroconductivity, As such a material, metal, such as aluminum, copper, a semiconductor, etc. are mentioned, for example. In addition, although each cell 11 is arrange | positioned planarly according to the shape of the circuit board 100 in the inspection unit 1, you may arrange | position three-dimensionally.

It is preferable that the shape of each cell 11 unify all shapes as shown in FIG. This is for the uniform supply of the test signal to the conductive pattern and the reception of the signal appearing in the conductive pattern in each cell 11.

Also, as shown in Fig. 2, each cell 11 is preferably configured in a matrix form arranged at equal intervals in the row direction and the column direction, respectively. By doing so, the nonuniformity of the number of cells 11 per unit area facing the conductive pattern can be reduced, and the relative positional relationship between each cell 11 is made clear, and the position of each cell 11 is identified. This is because it can be facilitated. However, depending on the shape of the circuit board to be inspected and the like, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, only one column may be arranged.

In the inspection unit 11, the total number of cells 11 becomes 64, but this is conveniently determined in describing the present embodiment, and in reality, for example, 200,000 to 2 million cells in a 5-50 μm square. Can be placed. As described above, in setting the size, interval, and the like of the cell 11, in order to realize more accurate inspection, it is preferable to set the size and interval in which two cells are usually included with respect to the line width of the conductive pattern.

The switching circuit 16 can be comprised with a multiplexer, a deplexer, etc., for example. 4 is an internal block diagram of the switching circuit 16.

The switching circuit 16 connects each cell 11 to either the input terminal 12, the output terminal 13, or the GND terminal 15 individually in accordance with a control signal from the computer 4. Hereinafter, connecting the cell 11 to the input terminal 12 is called "switching to power supply", and connecting to the output terminal 13 is called "switching to power supply".

In this embodiment, since only one output terminal 13 is provided, the cell 11 connected to the output terminal 13 is limited to one, but the output terminal 13 is provided in each cell 11 unit, and a plurality of cells 11 are provided. It is also possible to acquire a signal from the cell 11 at the same time.

The reason why the cells 11 can be connected to the GND terminal 15 is to improve the S / N ratio when the output signal is taken from any one of the cells 11, but the GND terminal 15 In a case where a sufficient S / N ratio can be obtained without being connected to, the switching may be performed by simply opening each cell 11 without providing the GND terminal 15.

The signal source 2 always generates a test signal that changes in time, such as an alternating current signal or a pulse signal, and in this embodiment, an electric signal whose voltage changes periodically. As a period of the voltage change of a test signal, 500 kHz-10 MHz are preferable, for example. In addition, in this embodiment, although the signal source 2 was made into the independent structure, you may comprise so that such an inspection signal may be generated from the computer 4. As shown in FIG.

The processing circuit 3 performs signal processing so that the computer 4 easily processes the output signal from each cell 11, and has an amplifier 3a for amplifying the output signal as shown in FIG. In addition, a filter circuit and an A / D converter can be installed.

The computer 4 sends control signals to the switching circuit 16, sets which cells 11 are connected to which terminals 12, 13, and 15, and outputs the signals from the cells 11 and the like. Based on the determination, disconnection, short circuit, or defect of the conductive pattern is determined.

In addition, the computer 4 has a function of displaying on the display 4a an image of a conductive pattern to be inspected based on an output signal from each cell 11 or the like.

Basic principle of inspection

5 shows the basic principle of inspection.

In Fig. 5, it is assumed that the cell 11a is switched to power supply, and the cell 11b is switched to power supply. Between the cell 11a and the conductive pattern 101 on the circuit board 100 positioned immediately below, capacitively coupled as air or an atmosphere of the inspection environment as a dielectric, the inspection signal from the signal source 2 When input to the cell 11a, the electric current will generate | occur | produce in the conductive pattern 101 by the change of the voltage of the test signal.

On the other hand, since the capacitance between the cell 11b and the conductive pattern 101 is also capacitively coupled, the current flowing through the conductive pattern 101 flows into the cell 11b (output signal).

The strength or weakness of the output signal (for example, the amplitude of the voltage) makes it possible to determine, for example, whether a disconnection has occurred in the conductive pattern 101.

<< inspection method 1 >>

<Check disconnection>

Hereinafter, disconnection inspection of the conductive pattern by the inspection apparatus A is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b (shown by broken lines) and the cells 11 to be inspected. In FIG. 6, X1 to X8 and Y1 to Y8 are Coordinates for identifying any one cell 11 are shown. Hereinafter, when represented by the cells X1 and Y1, it means a cell located at the coordinates X1 and Y1 among the cells 11.

Assuming that the disconnection inspection of the conductive pattern 101a is to be performed, first, among the cells 11 arranged on the conductive pattern 101a, one or a group of cells 11 to be switched to power feeding and One or a plurality of cells 11 to be switched to faucets are selected. In selecting, it is preferable to select the cells 11 located near both ends of the conductive pattern 101a as much as possible. This is because the disconnection inspection allows inspection of the portion of the conductive pattern 101a present in the region between the cell 11 switched by feeding and the cell 11 switched by tapping.

As a result of the selection, for example, when the switching to the power supply is selected as the cells X2 and Y2, and the switching to the power supply is selected as the cells X7 and Y6, the computer 4 switches the switching circuit of the inspection unit 1 ( 16 to send a control signal to connect the cells X2 and Y2 to the input terminal 12, the cells X7 and Y6 to the output terminal 13, and the remaining cells 11 to the GND terminal 15, respectively. Let's do it. In the case where a plurality of cells 11 for switching power feeding are selected, they can be switched at the same time. However, when a plurality of cells 11 for switching power supply are selected, the switching of the selected cells 11 is performed in sequence without switching simultaneously. do.

Then, the test signal from the signal source 2 is input to the cells X2 and Y2 to generate a current in the conductive pattern 101a, and the output signal is generated from the cells X7 and Y6. The generated output signal passes through the processing circuit 3 and is sent to the computer 4, and the computer 4 determines whether or not the wire is disconnected by the intensity of the output signal.

The computer 4 determines whether or not the conductive pattern 101a is disconnected as the intensity of the output signal is higher or lower than the predetermined threshold. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, if the conductive pattern 101a is cut off in the middle, the intensity of the output signal from the cells X7 and Y6 is relatively low, so that it can be determined as disconnection. In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, when the conductive pattern 101a is continued, the intensity of the output signal from the cells X7 and Y6 is relatively high, and thus it can be determined that the circuit is not disconnected. The output signal is generated even in the case of disconnection because it can be considered that the pattern is disconnected between the disconnected patterns.

In addition, the threshold for determining the presence or absence of disconnection can be set by performing a preliminary experiment in the case of disconnection and the case of disconnection using the dummy conductive pattern in advance.

In addition, the inspection is performed on a plurality of conductive patterns without using a threshold value, and the strength of the output signal in each inspection is compared with each other to determine that the conductive pattern related to the relatively low is disconnection, and the conductive pattern related to the high is determined. It may be determined that the wire is not disconnected.

<Paragraph inspection>

Hereinafter, the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern by the inspection apparatus A is demonstrated.

Assuming that the short-circuit inspection between the conductive pattern 101a and the conductive pattern 101b in FIG. 6 is performed, first, the computer 4 is placed on the conductive pattern 101a or the conductive pattern 101b. In (11), one or a group of cells 11 to switch to power feeding and one or a plurality of cells 11 to switch to power reception are selected.

As a result of the selection, for example, when the switching to the power supply is selected as the cells X2 and Y2 and the switching to the power supply is selected as the cells X2 and Y6, the computer 4 switches the switching circuit of the inspection unit 1 ( A control signal is sent to 16, cells X2 and Y2 are input terminals 12, cells X2 and Y6 are output terminals 13, and the remaining cells 11 are GND terminals 15, respectively. Connect. In the case where a plurality of cells 11 for switching power feeding are selected, they can be switched at the same time. However, when a plurality of cells 11 for switching power feeding are selected, the switching of the selected cells 11 is performed in sequence without switching at the same time. do.

The test signal from the signal source 2 is then input to the cells X2 and Y2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, if the conductive pattern 101a and the conductive pattern 101b are short-circuited, current flows through these conductive patterns, and an output signal is generated in the cells X2 and Y6. The generated output signal is sent out to the computer 4 via the processing circuit 3, and the computer 4 determines whether or not it is shorted by the intensity of the output signal.

As in the case of the disconnection test, the computer 4 has a higher or lower intensity of the output signal than a predetermined threshold value, or a comparison between the conducting pattern 101a and the conducting pattern by comparison with the intensity of the output signal in another short-circuit test. It is determined whether or not a short circuit occurs between 101b. The reason why the output signal is generated even in a case where there is no short circuit is that it is considered that the capacitance is also coupled between the disconnected patterns.

<< inspection method 2 >>

Next, the case where an image is formed based on the output signal from the cell 11, and a disconnection, a short circuit, and a defect of the conductive pattern 101 (a, b) is examined is demonstrated.

<Coordinate Detection of Conductive Pattern>

First, the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b to be inspected and the cells 11 is detected. That is, it detects which cell 11 is arrange | positioned on the conductive pattern 101a or 101b. The accuracy of arranging the inspection unit 1 on the circuit board 100 also has a limitation. In particular, since the conductive pattern to be inspected is minute, the positional relationship between the two is accurately calculated when a micro cell is used. This is because (4) needs to be recognized.

The computer 4 records in advance figure data (hereinafter referred to as conductive pattern data) showing the position and shape of the conductive pattern to be inspected, and records the conductive pattern actually detected by the conductive pattern data and the inspection unit 1. In comparison, the positional relationship between each cell 11 and the conductive pattern is recognized.

In the recognition of the positional relationship, all or a part of a specific conductive pattern having a characteristic shape that is easy to detect by the inspection unit 1 is a mark, and the recognition or dummy conductive pattern according to the detection of the position is previously attached to the circuit board. As a guideline, the recognition can be performed by detecting the position. Here, the latter case will be described.

9 shows a circuit board 100 to which two dummy conductive patterns 102 are attached. The conductive patterns 102 are all connected to the conductive pattern 101a.

If the cell 11 is arranged on the circuit board 100 as shown in Fig. 10, the computer 4 refers to the conductive pattern data, so that the computer 4 can be connected with the conductive pattern 101a and the cell 11, respectively. Since the large positional relationship is known, the plurality of cells 11 located on the conductive pattern 101a are selected and switched simultaneously with feeding, and the plurality of cells 11 located on the dummy conductive pattern 102 are selected. Switch to faucet in turn. In Fig. 10, the four cells 11 included in the thickened area 201 are switched to feed, and the cells 11 of the totals 18 included in the region 202 are sequentially switched to faucets.

Then, the test signal from the signal source 2 is input to the cell 11 included in the region 201, and a current is generated in the conductive patterns 101a and 102 so that each cell included in the region 202 ( 11) the output signal can be obtained. The generated output signal is sent to the computer 4 via the processing circuit 3.

The computer 4 can recognize the position of the dummy conductive pattern 102 based on the output signal, and can specify the positional relationship between each cell 11 and the conductive patterns 101a and 101b. In addition, the computer 4 may generate image data using the output signal from each cell 11 as a pixel signal and display it on the display 4a. Fig. 11 is a display example of the display 4a, and each pixel 300 corresponds to each cell 11, respectively. Further, it is understood that the pixels X8 and Y8 and the pixels X8 and Y1 show dummy conductive patterns 102, and the region 301 surrounded by the thick lines represents a part of the conductive pattern 101a. have. In this case, the computer 4 does not automatically recognize which pixel 300 corresponds to the dummy conductive pattern 102, but may be displayed by the inspector.

Moreover, the reason why two dummy conductive patterns 102 are provided is that if two points are known, the positional relationship in the XY direction and the positional relationship in the direction can be recognized.

<Check disconnection>

Hereinafter, the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern by the inspection apparatus A is demonstrated.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b and the respective cells 11 in the case of inspecting the disconnected conductive pattern 101a. In addition, the dummy conductive pattern is omitted.

First, the computer 4 selects one or a group of cells 11 that switch to power feeding among the cells 11 arranged on the conductive pattern 101a. It is assumed here that the cells X2 and Y2 are selected. Next, as the cell 11 to be switched to the power receiving unit, the cell 11 disposed on the conductive pattern 101a and the boundary thereof is selected. Here, it is assumed that the cell 11 included in the region 204 surrounded by the thick line is selected.

In the selection thereof, the cell 11 is specified based on the conductive pattern data and the conductive pattern data of the positional relationship between the conductive pattern and the cell obtained by the above-described process of detecting the coordinates of the conductive pattern.

The computer sends a control signal to the switching circuit 16 of the inspection unit 1 so that the cells X2 and Y2 are input terminals 12 and the cells 11 included in the region 204 are sequentially output terminals ( The remaining cells 11 are connected to the GND terminal 15, respectively.

Then, the test signal from the signal source 2 is input to the cells X2 and Y2, and a current is generated in the conductive pattern 101a, and an output signal is sequentially generated from each cell 11 included in the region 204. do. The generated output signal is sent to the computer 4 through the processing circuit 3, and the computer 4 compares each output signal with the conductive pattern data to determine whether or not the wire is disconnected based on a predetermined threshold value and the like. The position is specified. It goes without saying that the threshold value can be set in the same manner as in the case of <disconnect inspection> of << inspection method 1 >> described above.

The computer 4 also generates image data showing the position and shape of the detected conductive pattern as the output signal as the pixel signal. Here, the pixel signal is binarized by the threshold value to generate image data, and an image related to the image data is displayed on the display 4a. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a display example thereof.

The conductive pattern 101a is disconnected around the cells X5 and Y4 as shown in FIG. 12, but according to the display example of FIG. 13, the image is interrupted and disconnected from the peripheral portions of the pixels X5 and Y4. And the disconnection site can be seen.

In addition, although the case where the pixel signal was binarized was demonstrated, you may multiply.

<Paragraph inspection>

Hereinafter, the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern by the inspection apparatus A is demonstrated.

14 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b and the respective cells 11 in the case of inspecting the disconnected conductive pattern 101a.

First, the computer 4 selects one or a group of cells 11 that switch to power feeding from the cells 11 disposed on the conductive pattern 101a or the conductive pattern 101b. It is assumed here that the cells X2 and Y2 are selected. Next, the cell 11 disposed on the conductive pattern 101a or the conductive pattern 101b is selected as the cell 11 to be switched to the faucet. It is assumed here that the cell 11 included in the region 205 surrounded by the thick line is selected.

The computer 4 sends a control signal to the switching circuit 16 of the inspection unit 1, and outputs the cells X2 and Y2 to the input terminal 12 and the cells 11 included in the region 205 in turn. The remaining cells 11 are connected to the terminal 13 and the GND terminal 15, respectively.

Then, the inspection signal from the signal source 2 is input to the cells X2 and Y2, and if the conductive pattern 101a and the conductive pattern 101b are short-circuited as shown in Fig. 14, current flows through them to conduct the conductive pattern 101b. An output signal is generated in turn from each cell 11 disposed on the (). The generated output signal is sent to the computer 4 through the processing circuit 3, and the computer 4 compares each output signal with the signal pattern data to determine whether or not it is shorted based on a predetermined threshold value, and the The position is specified.

In addition, the computer 4 generates image data showing the position and the shape of the conductive pattern in which the output signal is detected as the pixel signal, and displays an image related to the image data on the display 4a. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a display example thereof.

Since the conductive pattern 101a and the conductive pattern 101b are short-circuited around the cells X4 and Y5, as shown in FIG. 14, the region corresponding to the conductive pattern 101b and the display pattern of FIG. An image appears in the peripheral portions of the pixels X5 and Y4 which are short-circuit sites, so that the short-circuit and the short-circuit site can be known.

<Defect Check>

Hereinafter, the short circuit inspection of the conductive pattern by the inspection apparatus A is demonstrated.

The defect means a case in which the conductive pattern is continuous but a part is missing in the middle. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the conductive patterns 101a and 101b and the respective cells 11 in the case of inspecting the conductive pattern 101a in which a defect has occurred.

First, the computer 4 selects one or a group of cells 11 that switch to power feeding among the cells 11 arranged on the conductive pattern 101a. Here, the cells X2 and Y2 are selected. Next, the cell 11 arranged on and around the conductive pattern 101a is selected as the cell 11 to be switched to the power receiving unit. Here, it is assumed that the cell 11 included in the region 206 surrounded by the thick line is selected.

The computer 4 sends a control signal to the switching circuit 16 of the inspection unit 1, and in turn, the cells X2 and Y2 to the input terminal 12, and then the cells 11 included in the region 206. The remaining cells 11 are connected to the output terminal 13 and the GND terminal 15, respectively.

Then, the inspection signal from the signal source 2 is input to the cells X2 and Y2, and current flows through the conductive pattern 101a so that an output signal is sequentially generated from each cell 11 disposed on the conductive pattern 101a. Occurs. The generated output signal is sent to the computer 4 through the processing circuit 3, and the computer 4 compares each output signal with the conductive pattern data to see if the conductive pattern 101a is defective on the basis of a predetermined threshold. Determination of whether or not and specifying the position are carried out.

The computer 4 also generates image data showing the position and shape of the detected conductive pattern as an output signal as a pixel signal, and displays an image relating to the image data on the display 4a. 17 is a diagram showing a display example thereof.

In the conductive pattern 101a, as shown in FIG. 16, a defect occurs around the cells X4 and Y2. Therefore, even in the display example of FIG. 17, there are no images in the pixels X4 and Y2, which are defective regions. It is known that the conductive pattern 101a is defective and its portion.

As described above, according to the present invention, the conductive pattern can be inspected in a completely non-contact manner.

Claims (24)

An inspection apparatus for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a non-contact manner, A cell having a plurality of conductivity spaced apart from each other, Supply means for supplying a test signal that changes in time to the cell; Processing means for processing an output signal appearing in the cell; Switching means capable of connecting each said cell to said supply means or said processing means individually; And a control means for controlling the switching means. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising determination means for determining at least one of disconnection or short circuit of the conductive pattern based on the output signal. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination means determines the disconnection or the short circuit according to whether or not the strength of the output signal exceeds a predetermined threshold when the disconnection or the short circuit is inspected. . The method according to claim 2, wherein in the case of inspecting the disconnection or the short circuit, the determination means inspects the other conductive patterns and compares the strengths of the output signals in the respective inspections. Inspection device. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing conductive pattern data relating to the position and shape of the conductive pattern. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means specifies the cell for switching the connection by the switching means based on the conductive pattern. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating image data of an image showing a position and a shape of the conductive pattern inspected on the basis of the output signal appearing in each of the cells. 8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 7, comprising means for displaying the image. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, in order to generate the image data, the control means connects at least one of the cells to the supply means and sequentially turns the cells belonging to all or a certain area one by one. And the switching means is controlled to be connected to a processing means. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein in the case of inspecting disconnection of the conductive pattern, the control means includes at least one of the cells located on one end of the conductive pattern to be inspected in the supply means. And the switching means for controlling the switching means so as to connect one of the cells located on the other end of the conductive pattern to be inspected to the processing means or a plurality of the cells to the processing means while being connected. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein when inspecting the short circuit of the pair of the conductive patterns, the control means checks at least one of the cells located on the one conductive pattern to be inspected. The switching means is controlled such that one cell located on the other conductive pattern to be inspected is connected to the processing means or a plurality of the cells are sequentially connected to the processing means while being connected to the supply means. Inspection device. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein when the defect of the conductive pattern is inspected, the control means checks the at least one cell on the conductive pattern to be inspected while connecting the supply means. And said switching means is controlled so that said cells other than said cells connected to said supply means located on a conductive pattern and its periphery are sequentially connected to said processing means. The conductive pattern according to any one of claims 7 to 12, further comprising storage means for storing conductive pattern data relating to the position and shape of the conductive pattern, and comparing the image data with the conductive pattern data. And a means for determining at least one of disconnection, short circuit, or defect. The said test | inspection as described in any one of Claims 7-12 equipped with the memory means which memorize | stored the conductive pattern data regarding the position and shape of the said conductive pattern, and comparing the said image data with the said conductive pattern data. And a means for detecting a positional shift of the conductive pattern. The inspection apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the comparison is performed based on the conductive pattern having a characteristic shape or a dummy conductive pattern that has already been performed. 16. The switching means according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the switching means is capable of individually connecting each of the cells to the supply means, the processing means or the GND, wherein the control means is the supply means or the processing means. And said switching means is controlled to connect said cell which is not connected to either of them to GND. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means is provided for each of the cells or for each of the plurality of cells. An inspection unit for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a non-contact manner, A cell having a plurality of conductivity spaced apart from each other, An input terminal to which a test signal for the cell is input; An output terminal for outputting a signal from the cell; A control terminal to which a control signal for selecting the cell is input; And a switching means capable of connecting the respective cells individually to the input terminal or the output terminal based on the control signal. 19. The inspection unit according to claim 18, having a GND terminal connected to GND, and said switching means individually connects each said cell to any one of said input terminal, said output terminal, or said GND terminal. 20. The inspection unit according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the cells are arranged in a plane. 21. An inspection apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said cells are arranged in a matrix. 22. The inspection unit according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein each of said cells is of the same shape. The inspection unit according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the material of the cell is a metal material. As an inspection method for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board in a non-contact manner, Arranging cells having a plurality of conductivity spaced apart from each other according to the conductive pattern; Supplying a test signal that changes in time to at least one of the cells; Detecting an output signal appearing in the other cell via the conductive pattern by supplying the test signal; And inspecting the conductive pattern based on the detected output signal.